In a mug ( I use a 300 ml coffee mug), break the egg and whisk a little with a fork.

Add milk, oil and mix together.

Mix in the nutella well.

Add sugar, cocoa, salt and espresso powder. Mix well.

Fold in the flour with fork. Mix well but be careful as to not overmix else you will get a rubbery, tough texture.

Microwave for 2½ to 3 minutes on high. You will have to figure out how long you want to microwave. For me the cake is done after 2 min 45 sec.

Let cool a bit and dig in.

Troubleshooting tip:

If your cake comes out dry and rubbery, its been in the microwave for too long or you mixed it too much. Fold all the ingredients only till they come together. And play with the timings to get the right texture.

If you want to be indulgent, add whipped cream. This recipe makes one big mug of cake, which is best enjoyed shared with another person, but on the low days you can have one completely to yourself.

Keep watching this space for a post where you will be surprised by how good this dangerous cake can be when you have sudden guests over.

Those photos are just calling my name! They are amazingly beautiful and inviting. i love the simplicity of the recipe and how delicious it is. I mean I haven’t tasted it yet but faith tells me it’s utterly sinful and anything sinful usually is très bien!

Sure you can leave out the espresso powder. The original recipe doesnt call for it. So it should be fine. About substituting with regular coffee, I think my friend tried it with regular coffee and she was happy with the results. But am not very sure about it!

Hello, I want to try this recipe NOW! But I am a student living in a dorm and unfortunately don’t have a microwave:( What I have is a normal oven. Is it still doable? And if yes(oh please God!) how many minutes would it need? Thank you!

Baking in an oven might defeat the five minute purpose, but you could try it by preheating the oven to 350 and use a ramekin instead of a mug (don’t think mugs are oven safe). Just bake till tester comes out clean. You might need to add a pinch of baking powder to the batter. I did not use it all three times I tried it in the microwave, but maybe since you using the oven it might require a pinch of baking powder as well. Hope it works and please do let me know if it does or does not!:) Happy Baking!

Oh my goodness I should have taken you seriously when you said continue at your own risk before further scrolling. This is one seriously yummy dessert and only 5 minutes to bake. Its BOOKED Marked. Take Care

Oh! I am sorry it did not work for you! I have to admit I love the taste of this cake- have tried other mug cake versions but this one was the only one I liked. Its totally fair if you did not like it. To each his own, right?

The semi-cooked goo at the bottom is the best bit! Flip the mug upside down into a bowl and you’ll have the cake covered in a thick, gooey chocolatey sauce.. Cover it in thick cream and it’s perfection 🙂

It cooks completely. I don’t know if you have ever used those microwave egg poachers, but if you have you would know that the eggs cooks in under a minute in the microwave. So don’t worry, you wont be having a raw egg. 🙂

i tried it but for some reason the bottom always gor burned , tried to go for less than a min still the same issue 🙁 do you have any idea why this happen ? does it have to do with how much of the cup is filled with the mixture?

Did you try lowering the power of your microwave? If the cup is not filled halfway, it could affect the turnout as well, I am guessing. Not sure though what is wrong- maybe try lowering the power of the microwave and cook a little longer.

Oh wow! I’m obsessed with Nutella and had to try this immediately. I was a little worried I would overmix or overcook and end up with a rubbery cake…but it was PERFECTION! Went for simple folding in of the flour then 3 min in micro. Great afternoon treat.

Just wanted to let people know that I just made is and you can definitely use regular coffee if you want. Just omit the espresso powder and instead use just 2 tablespoons of milk, and one tablespoon of coffee. Worked great for me! Thanks for posting this recipe!

Its been ages!! Well i’ve visited ur blog very often and drooled!!! One day just going thru the stuff, I came across the most dangerous cake!! Well I love nutella and can just spoon it in my mouth…so ya i understood in a sec why u called it dangerous!! But couldn’t stop reading ahead inspire of the warnings and commonsense :))!
Well it was my anniversary and we had been super busy and had had a week of sleepless nights. So obviously nothing was planned, no gifts bought, zero celebration…
So i thought of just making dinner and called 2 of his close freinds and kept it a surprise…now after no sleep for days and fever and a full work day, I honestly was very close to the idea of ordering in. And especially just having ice-cream for dessert cozIi didn’t have the patience to make his favorite soufflé.
Well that’s when I pulled out this recipe, doubled the quantity, put it in small quiche moulds and voila! my warm, freshly baked chocolate dessert was ready!!
Thank you so much!! It was brilliant and came out really well!!

Divya, thanks so much for dropping by and leaving this comment!! I am glad you liked it and how smart to double the quantity and use quiche molds to serve them! I am really happy that you liked it! Belated wishes for your anniversary! 🙂

Have tried so many other mugcakes and they are dry and bland-this is much tastier! To make it more moist and rich I adapted this recipe into a self saucing pudding and it was so good! Simply follow the recipe as provided. Before cooking, spread a mixture of 2tbsp Brown sugar and 1 tbsp cocoa on top of the cake mix. Then gently drizzle approx 1/4 cup boiling water on top. Cook as per the instructions (your sauce will flip to the bottom and cake to the top). Let it sit for a minute and the sauce will thicken. Looks messy (will be if you don’t place the mug on a plate while cooking), but tastes yummy!

I think the only reason why it says to not microwave nutella is because the chocolate or the nuts in it might burn and spoil the taste. The reason you should not refrigerate it is because the nutella hardens and thus the smooth consistency is lost. I did google to see if there is any scientific reason behind it- if something happens to the molecules making it dangerous- there was no such research suggesting that. But if you are still wary I think you should mail the Nutella people asking them if it’s fine to use nutella to make a mug cake :)!

This is the best cake in a cup that I have ever tried. I mixed it in a separate bowl and used a greased cappuccino mug. I baked it for 2 minutes and it was picture perfect and plenty for two of us. Thank you!

You BAD BAD BAD girl!! In the couple of weeks of knowing about this recipe..today is the 3rd time I’m baking it..it’s THAT good! There goes the weight loss plan for Dhara’s sister’s wedding.. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I have made a nutella mug cake before. After that day, I made it so many times, I can’t count. Didn’t add strawberries and whipped cream, but will try that out next time!ATasteOfMadness recently posted..Starbucks Oat and Fudge Bars

Could you replace the espresso powder with instant coffee powder? It looks delicious and I want to try it but I don’t want to buy espresso powder just for this.
Sorry about the double comment I forgot to check the “notify me of follow up comment by email” box.

I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect mug cake. In the last two weeks, I think I’ve tried out at least 6 variations (and I try every variation at least twice to make sure my results are consistent!). I’m going to try your recipe tonight – my waistline thanks/scorns you in advance!

Just found your site today while looking for more ideas, and I’m glad I did. Love what you’ve done with it (especially Garam Masala Tuesdays!). Will definitely be coming back to see more!

Haha! Yep, it *IS* faaaarrrr more than I should have. But I tend to get a little obsessive when working on recipes. Next week will be all about super healthy eating and cardio!Riz recently posted..Chocolate Chip Cookies